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Health Controversy: Is "Ultrarunning" Dangerous?

Did you guys hear the news about the runner in California who got lost in the wilderness for three days without food or water? More details are surfacing about her ordeal and controversy is brewing about the extreme form of running called "ultrarunning"...

What a happy ending to a scary story for 36-year-old Maria "Gina" Natero-Armento. The California woman survived 72 hours with only a slice of apple in her stomach and very little water. And, according to reports, she has only one functioning kidney. Yes, she's lucky to be alive!

So, what went wrong? Natero-Armento is reportedly a fan of ultrarunning, an "extreme" form of running that has thousands of fans across the country. Think a marathon is tough? These people run 100-mile races. Natero-Armento, who's normally a cautious runner, says she made some serious mistakes before her ordeal.

According to CNN.com, she was feeling rushed to get out the door at 5:30 a.m. on the day she got lost and didn't bring her watch, phone, food or her GPS device with her. Then, she got separated from her running partner and lost track of about 8 hours. (Pretty amazing, given the fact that most of us feel like it's time to head home from a run after just 45 minutes!) Suddenly, she was lost, dehydrated and disoriented--in the middle of nowhere. Three days later, rescuers found her on the brink of death, but now she's making a recovery.

The story leaves me with questions: Is this form of running just a bit too extreme? The CNN article noted that ultrarunners frequently run when they're sick and push themselves in possibly unhealthy ways.